Birds Flyin' Away

Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird definitely taught me some very useful writing tools that I plan to utilize every time I sit down to write a paper for a class. The techniques I plan on utilizing the most are the use of dialogue, page breaks, flashbacks, deep descriptions, free writing, looping, and clustering.

All of the narrative techniques and writing techniques in general are very helpful. They allow the reader to become immersed in the story they’re reading. It doesn’t even have to be a story; it could be an argumentative paper or something like that. For my personal narrative I used a multitude of the techniques she said were helpful. At first I started by thinking about all of the things I could possibly write about for my piece. Then I used her advice about free writing and looping for all of the topics I could’ve written about. From there I started the drafting process, which I learned doesn’t have to be perfect the first, or even second time; but with each time I revised my paper I knew it was getting better and better.

I think the point she made about not having to have a perfect first draft was the lesson that moved me the most. I’ve always tried to have great first drafts; I’d write a paragraph and then go back to make sure I used the correct diction and that it was grammatically correct. I’d be so hung up in correcting the small stuff that I’d forget about the big picture. My grammar would be fine, but the content wouldn’t be at its full potential. Now after reading Bird by Bird I know that it’s fine to have “shitty first drafts” as she said. The whole paper together will get better and better as revisions are made.

Another lesson that I learned was about getting rid of the voices in my head when I’m writing. She said that to get rid of the voices, you first have to acknowledge their presence. From there you’ll be able to get rid of the voices and have a clear head. Along with stepping back from everything just to take a few deep breaths was very good advice.

I also like how she talks about having a friend or two read your first draft. I think this is a great idea because it’s an extra set of eyes that can analyze your paper and look it over. I have done this for many papers that I’ve written, even my college and scholarship essays. I also had a few friends look over my personal narrative. In all instances, my friends were able to pick out grammar mistakes or find ways of rewording things to make them less awkward. I credit all of the grades I’ve received to this extra step in the writing process. Without it, I don’t think my papers would’ve have received as high of grades.

Overall, I think that Anne Lamott did an amazing job with Bird by Bird. She talks about writing the whole time yet she keeps the reader entertained with personal anecdotes. All of her techniques and approaches to writing are very useful and I plan on utilizing them at every moment I can.